Atlantic islands brace for arrival of Hurricane Lorenzo

LISBON, Portugal — Waves up to 22 metres (72 feet) high and wind gusts over 200 kilometres mph (124 mph) are forecast for parts of the mid-Atlantic Azores Islands as Hurricane Lorenzo bears down on the archipelago.

The Category 2 hurricane is expected to hit the Portuguese islands Tuesday night.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami issued hurricane warnings for seven of the nine volcanic islands and a tropical storm warning for the other two.

Authorities in the Azores cleared drainage systems during calm daytime weather Tuesday and told local people to prepare their homes.

Some locals boarded up their doorways against flooding.

The remote islands are home to about 250,000 people.

The Portuguese weather agency expects Lorenzo to weaken to category 1 on Wednesday as it heads northeast.

The Associated Press